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Frequently asked questions

  • I am looking for a domain name registrant. Where can I look it up?

    The Whois is an easy-to-use tool for checking the availability of a .nl domain name. If the domain name is already taken, you can see who has registered it.

    On the page looking up a domain name you will find more information about what a domain name is, how the Whois works and how the privacy of personal data is protected. Alternatively, you can go straight to look for a domain name via the Whois.

  • I would like to transfer my domain name to another registrar. What is the procedure?

    To get your domain name transferred, you need the token (unique ID number) for your domain name. Your existing registrar has the token and is obliged to give it to you within five days, if you ask for it. The procedure for changing your registrar is described on the page transferring your domain name.

  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date. How can I get them updated?

    To update the contact details associated with your domain name, you need to contact your registrar. Read more about updating contact details.

  • Why is my domain name in quarantine?

    When a domain name is cancelled, we aren't told the reason, so we can't tell you. You'll need to ask your registrar. The advantage of quarantine is that, if a name's cancelled by mistake, you can always get it back.

    One common reason is that the contract between you and your registrar says you've got to renew the registration every year. If you haven't set up automatic renewal and you don't renew manually, the registration will expire.

  • Ik heb een klacht over mijn provider/registrar. Kan ik daarvoor bij SIDN terecht?

    Wanneer je een klacht hebt over of een geschil met je registrar dan zijn er verschillende mogelijkheden om tot een oplossing te komen. Hierover lees je meer op pagina klacht over registrar. SIDN heeft geen formele klachtenprocedure voor het behandelen van een klacht over jouw registrar.

  • What conditions do I have to meet as a registrar?

    Would you like to be able to register domain names for customers or for your own organisation by dealing directly with SIDN? If so, you can become a .nl registrar. Read more about the conditions and how to apply for registrar status on the page becoming a registrar.

More frequently asked questions

NIST publishes new Secure Domain Name System (DNS) Deployment Guide

Advice on organising and securing your DNS infrastructure

NIST Entrance Sign on the Gaithersburg Campus in Maryland (USA)
  • Thursday 8 May 2025

US standardisation and technology institute NIST has made the first public draft of its Secure Domain Name System (DNS) Deployment Guide available online. The guide provides comprehensive advice on organising and securing your DNS service. DNSSEC obviously features, but the document also covers numerous other DNS-related topics.

NIST is accepting public feedback on the draft document until 25 May.

The Secure Domain Name System (DNS) Deployment Guide goes through a long series of recommendations on organising and securing your DNS infrastructure. Naturally, authoritative DNS services and recursive resolvers are considered, and the relationship between DNS security and more general information security is addressed as well.

Focus points

A number of important topics and focus points highlighted in the guide are summarised below, along with some of the key takeaways.

Critical infrastructure and information security

  • The DNS is a critical infrastructure component and should therefore be covered by an organisation-wide information security strategy

  • Because of its scalability and efficiency, an organisation’s DNS set-up is a good place to implement security measures, as with all the security protocols developed on the basis of DNSSEC (e.g. SPF/DKIM/DMARC, DANE and ZONEMD), as well as DNSBL (for blocking spam)

  • Use of a DNS resolver to block access to malware domains ("Protective DNS")

Secure DNS

  • Securing the authenticity of DNS data by using DNSSEC

  • Screening the transport of DNS information by using DoT/DoH/DoQ

  • Managing domain names and DNS systems

  • Protecting against DoS attacks

  • Administering and signing zones on a separate hidden primary name server

  • Securing zone transfers, e.g. by means of TSIG and access control lists (ACLs)

  • Screening Dynamic DNS (DDNS) updates, e.g. by using TSIG

  • looking out for lookalikes and typosquatting

  • TTL settings

DNSSEC

DNS resolving

  • Recursive resolvers, forwarders and stub resolvers

  • Encrypted DNS services based on the use of DoT/DoH/DoQ

  • Blocking of DNS queries other than by the organisation’s own resolvers

  • DNSSEC validation

  • Management and updating of DNSSEC trust anchors

Further reading

Those topics and many others are covered in NIST's new Deployment Guide. We advise DNS operators to read the guide to see what else they could do to improve their infrastructures.

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